This invention relates to ball-style hitches located in the bed of a towing vehicle, such as a traditional pickup truck, that engage a releasable coupling on the tongue of a trailer. More particularly, this invention relates to a retractable hitch-ball mechanism that allows a user to selectively move a hitch ball from an operative position, in which a ball portion projects upwardly above the bed, to a retracted position, in which the ball portion is hidden when it is not needed for towing, thereby permitting the user to make full use of the truck's bed.
The most common method of hooking a trailer to a vehicle for towing is attaching the trailer to a hitch-ball that is mounted on or near the vehicle's rear bumper. However, by virtue of their arrangement, bumper pulled trailers are limited to a relatively small size and have severe load restrictions. A common method employed to tow larger trailers utilizes a trailer hitch arrangement where the hitch-ball is mounted in or on the floor of the vehicle bed and/or to the bed frame. In this configuration, the hitch-ball is positioned generally over, or slightly ahead of, the rear axle of the vehicle. The trailer has a long tongue portion, or gooseneck, which is curved downward and over the rearmost portion of the bed, thereby accessing the hitch-ball. Advantageously, a greater amount of load can be assumed by the vehicle because the load is passed directly onto the rear axle of the truck, instead of onto the bumper.
While hitch-ball mounting designs of this type can be found, a problem associated with this hitching arrangement is that it often requires the presence of an upwardly projecting hitch-ball mounted to the middle of the floor of the bed. Typically, the hitch-ball is permanently mounted in this position to ensure structural integrity when towing.
In the majority of these designs, mounting is accomplished by fixedly coupling the hitch-ball to a large metal plate and then bolting or welding the entire unit to the bed and/or bed frame. As such, the hitch-ball is permanently positioned in an upwardly projecting manner at a central location on the bed. This type of arrangement presents a problem in the event a user of the vehicle desires to lay large, flat, sheet goods in the bed. In that situation, the hitch-ball prevents the sheet goods from laying flat in the bed and, coincidentally, can damage the sheet goods. Additionally, if the user of the vehicle fills the bed with loose material, such as dirt or gravel, and attempts to shovel the loose material out, the upwardly projecting hitch member often interferes with the user's ability to shovel the loose material.
In an effort to solve these problems, arrangements have been devised to permit removal or adjustability of the upwardly projecting hitch-ball. However, these arrangements have inherently created additional problems for the user of the vehicle. In one situation where the hitch-ball is removable, the hitch-ball is often misplaced and, eventually, lost. In other arrangements that permit the hitch-ball to be laid or folded down on its side below the bed surface, the associated mechanism requires a large space under the bed for mounting and operational purposes. Additionally, these arrangements are costly and involve complex moving parts that easily become contaminated and frequently require repair and cleaning.
Accordingly, a solution that permits the hitch-ball to be adjusted from an operative upwardly-projecting position to another position that permits full use of the bed without the accompanying above-listed problems is desirable. The present invention provides, at least, this solution, thereby overcoming the drawbacks of the present hitch-ball arrangements.